Al Capone Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The prohibition law was originally thought of as a good idea, until it was put into action. Several groups were made in opposition of the consumption and sale of alcohol. The Prohibition Party (1869), Anti-Saloon League (1893) and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (1874). These groups played a key part in shifting the argument away from the immorality of drunkenness and towards the link between drinking and poor productivity domestic violence and poverty. By 1916, almost half the states had banned saloons. The election in 1916 was very focused on prohibition. Although total alcohol levels had halved there was a lot of illegal things happening. Some of the things that happened because of the Prohibition law where the rise of speakeasies, increased rate of regular crimes, corruption, job loss, disrespect for the law and religion, increase in drinking and the increase in illegal drug use. Alphonse Capone 'Scarface' was an American mobster, crime boss and businessman. Al Capone was born to poor immigrant parents from Italy. Capone was one of the most famous American Gangsters who rose to infamy as the leader of the Chicago Outfit during the prohibition era. Capone had an estimated fortune of 100millionbeforebeingsenttoAlcatrazPrisonin1931fortaxevasionchargesreceiving10yearsincarcerated.Caponedroppedoutofschoolattheageof14andmetJohnnyTorriowhoprovedthegreatestinfluenceonCapone.TorriomovedfromNewYorktoChicagoandsoonsentforCapone.AfteranattemptedassassinationofTorriohelefthislegacyofnightclubs,whorehouses,gamblingdens,breweriesandspeakeasiestoCapone.Capone′snewstatusledhimtodolotsofthings,oneofthemwasbootleggingNewYorkwhiskey.WiththehelpofafriendinNewYork,CaponesetouttosmugglehugequantitiesofNewYorkwhiskeyintoChicago.Therewerelotsofhigh−profileinvestigationsrunagainstCaponebuttheyallfailed.Thepolicetooktheirfrustrationsofallthefailedinvestigationsoutbyconstantlyraidinghiswhorehousesandgamblingdenslookingforhim.CaponewentintohidingforthreemonthsbuteventuallytookahugeriskandgavehimselfuptotheChicagopolice.Theauthoritiesdidnothaveenoughevidenceofthecrimeshehadcommittedtobeconvictedforthem.Itwasactuallythepenpushersfromthetaxofficewhoeventuallycaughthimoutontaxevasionandputhimawayfortenyears.CaponehadboughtamansioninMiamiandhadstartedtorenovateexpensivelyandthisiswhatgavethetaxofficetheevidenceofanunreportedmajorsourceofincome.Afterninehoursofdiscussion,onOctober17,1931thejuryfoundhimguiltyofseveralcountsoftaxevasion.JudgeWilkersonsentencedhimto10yearsinprison,100 million before being sent to Alcatraz Prison in 1931 for tax evasion charges receiving 10 years incarcerated. Capone dropped out of school at the age of 14 and met Johnny Torrio who proved the greatest influence on Capone. Torrio moved from New York to Chicago and soon sent for Capone. After an attempted assassination of Torrio he left his legacy of nightclubs, whorehouses, gambling dens, breweries and speakeasies to Capone. Capone's new status led him to do lots of things, one of them was bootlegging New York whiskey. With the help of a friend in New York, Capone set out to smuggle huge quantities of New York whiskey into Chicago. There were lots of high-profile investigations run against Capone but they all failed. The police took their frustrations of all the failed investigations out by constantly raiding his whorehouses and gambling dens looking for him. Capone went into hiding for three months but eventually took a huge risk and gave himself up to the Chicago police. The authorities did not have enough evidence of the crimes he had committed to be convicted for them. It was actually the pen pushers from the tax office who eventually caught him out on tax evasion and put him away for ten years. Capone had bought a mansion in Miami and had started to renovate expensively and this is what gave the tax office the evidence of an unreported major source of income. After nine hours of discussion, on October 17, 1931 the jury found him guilty of several counts of tax evasion. Judge Wilkerson sentenced him to 10 years in prison, 100millionbeforebeingsenttoAlcatrazPrisonin1931fortaxevasionchargesreceiving10yearsincarcerated.Caponedroppedoutofschoolattheageof14andmetJohnnyTorriowhoprovedthegreatestinfluenceonCapone.TorriomovedfromNewYorktoChicagoandsoonsentforCapone.AfteranattemptedassassinationofTorriohelefthislegacyofnightclubs,whorehouses,gamblingdens,breweriesandspeakeasiestoCapone.Capone′snewstatusledhimtodolotsofthings,oneofthemwasbootleggingNewYorkwhiskey.WiththehelpofafriendinNewYork,CaponesetouttosmugglehugequantitiesofNewYorkwhiskeyintoChicago.Therewerelotsofhigh−profileinvestigationsrunagainstCaponebuttheyallfailed.Thepolicetooktheirfrustrationsofallthefailedinvestigationsoutbyconstantlyraidinghiswhorehousesandgamblingdenslookingforhim.CaponewentintohidingforthreemonthsbuteventuallytookahugeriskandgavehimselfuptotheChicagopolice.Theauthoritiesdidnothaveenoughevidenceofthecrimeshehadcommittedtobeconvictedforthem.Itwasactuallythepenpushersfromthetaxofficewhoeventuallycaughthimoutontaxevasionandputhimawayfortenyears.CaponehadboughtamansioninMiamiandhadstartedtorenovateexpensivelyandthisiswhatgavethetaxofficetheevidenceofanunreportedmajorsourceofincome.Afterninehoursofdiscussion,onOctober17,1931thejuryfoundhimguiltyofseveralcountsoftaxevasion.JudgeWilkersonsentencedhimto10yearsinprison,50,000 in fines and court costs of another $30,000. Bail was denied. However, capons sentenced to six and a half years for good behaviour. Al Capone died on January 25, 1947 of cardiac arrest at the age of 48. During his last years in prison his health had been deteriorating, he had become confused and disorientated. After release, he continued to deteriorate. His wife stuck by his side until the end.